Gibson 1940 EH-185 2nd Version

Gibson 1940 EH-185
Introduction of the 'All New' Gibson EH-185.
Gibson 1940 EH-185 combo amp and steel.
Oct. 1, 1940's big intro of the Charlie Christian replacement pickup. Smaller magnets, pole-pieces that adjust, a nice slanted angle.....a great start for the short-lived prewar electrics!

This EH-185 FON F1480-4 was in a batch of 50 EH's that began shipping Dec. 1940. They shipped this batch fairly steady until the end of May 1941. One was shipped in June, one in July, one in August and then nothing until the last two were shipped March 2, 1942. The EH on this page was one of those last two shipped in 1942 to Grossman Music Co.

FON F1480-4. Shipped from the Gibson factory on March 2, 1942 to Grossman Music Co.
Gibson's 1st and 2nd versions of the EH-185. The very first version had a black painted insert and was shipped in 1939.
Go to 1st version EH-185
Front and back of a prewar Gibson EH-185.
Gibson logo cut-out of metal and mounted onto a solid cast piece. Original Kluson tuners mounted on the side. For those of you that encounter EH-185 tuners, they are specific to vertical mounts...thus, they will not fit onto regular EH-150's.
Brownish/grey crinkle paint applied to the cast metal insert. The first EH-185's(1939) will have a smooth coat of black paint.
Hardware required to complete this piece. Note the 2nd tuner left-side is a Grover. Look at the photo above and you will see I had found an exact replacement Kluson tuner to make the set complete.
Cast insert removed from the maple body. Note the rosewood fretboard is still attached and the 'all new' slanted P-90 pickup is also mounted to the insert.
Reverse side of the cast insert. Note the screw holes along the neck used to attach the rosewood fretboard.
Inside of the maple body and the cast insert.
Fretboard, cast insert and maple neck.
'49' stamped to the underside of the cast insert.
3 layers of white-black-white binding start at the shoulders and wrap around the body.
Inside of the maple body.
'10' stamped on the maple neck that is inserted into the body.
FON F1480-4 is rubber stamped 1480F in reverse inside of the maple body.
This angle provides a great perspective on the pieces required to complete the EH-185 maple body.
Cast insert attached to the maple body. Note the nickel-plated bridge is screwed onto the cast insert with 3 screws.
Cast insert with close-up of crinkle paint. Note the two very long screws that are used for pickup adjustment.
Non-slip diamond grip applied to the underside to all EH-185's(it was more round on the first versions in '39). Many EH-185's are missing this grip because it rubbed off over the years.
Original Geib case lined with brown felt on the inside and aeroplane 'tweed' covering on the outside. Many, many of these cases were beat up over the years (most were shoved in closets, under beds or basements).
This case is really cool because it sports an Eastern Airlines sticker! Great vintage vibe!
Two versions of the prewar Gibson EH-185 along with matching Gibson EH-185 amplifier.